Missouri taxpayers hit with $23M in legal payouts in 2017

ST. LOUIS— A new report shows lawsuits against the state of Missouri cost taxpayers at least $23 million last year.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Attorney General Josh Hawley has been reporting a monthly tally of legal payouts as part of an effort to boost transparency. The year-end report shows 16 of the 45 major payouts were related to employment discrimination, with six stemming from cases involving Missouri Department of Corrections workers.

Among the largest payouts on the 2017 report was a $5.5 million judgment against Harris-Stowe State University. In that case, Beverly Wilkins said she was repeatedly passed over for promotions because she was a white professor at a predominantly black institution.

The report also shows more than $11 million in potential payouts from cases that are being appealed.